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Project Summer Stride: Week Nine

For the final Project Summer Stride session we had a party to celebrate a great summer of reading!

When the children first got to the library, they colored a Thank You picture and wrote a note to their tutor. The children were very sad to say goodbye to their tutors, and many of the letters ended with hearts and "I love you". As the tutors arrived, the pairs split off for the last tutoring time. Four assessments were administered: Letter Names, Letter Sounds, Sight Word Reading and Reading Comprehension. These same four assessments were administered during the first session of Project Summer Stride, and they will help us gauge the progress each student made this summer.

After tutoring time, the parents and families arrived, and everyone - children, tutors, families and staff - enjoyed a lunch and recognition ceremony. The children all received a Summer Reading medal and certificate to recognize their hard work. The tutors and volunteers also received a certificate and small gift to acknowledge all of the time and energy they devoted to this program.

After the recognition ceremony, everyone enjoyed a performance by Story Squad. Story Squad mixes music and storytelling for an engaging and energetic show. At one point, all of the Summer Stride children got on stage to help the group sing "Five Little Monkeys". After the show, the families received the final attendance incentive, a $100 Visa gift card. The children received more books to add to their home library as well as a brand new book bag full of school supplies. The children now have home libraries of over 25 books, and all agreed they were ready to start school and show off their new backpacks!

The library staff who worked on this program for many months were sad to say our final goodbyes to the Summer Stride children. We all feel honored to have worked with each one of them this summer, and we hope we've gotten them ready for a happy and successful school year. Project Summer Stride is over for this summer, but we are already dreaming about next year. Stay tuned!